GIBSON 1977 LES PAUL ARTISAN Walnut, 3 pick-up, 1469 made, EX+ code Gi122

Gibson Les Paul Artisan three Humbuckers, Walnut finish, Gold hardware, Deluxe Hearts & flowers inlays. Very very little normal signs of wear in the finish, otherwise, it's in great shape. The surface of the pickups show some signs of age. The tuners and bridge are in excellent condition. Original frets in very good conditions. This guitar has such a cool, collected feel to it, exuding warmth and rich tonal character in a way that almost feels understated; the playability and weight of the instrument in your hands making this effortless to wield, with a sound that's equally sweet across all strings and frets. An utterly wonderful instrument. Comes in Original Case

Technical features:
Mahogany body and neck
Ebony fingerboard, finely inlaid with mother-of-pearl inserts, with a "hearts and flowers" theme
3 humbuckers: 2 Gibson Series VII pickups in the neck and bridge, 1 Gibson Super Humbucking pickup in the middle
Tune-o-matic bridge with 6 independent saddles for octave adjustment
Stop-bar tailpiece
Schaller "Gibson look" precision tuning machines
2 volume pots
2 tone pots
3-way pickup switch

Along with many other mysteries from Gibson's "Norlin" era, little is known about the origins of the Les Paul Artisan model. Introduced in 1977 as the top-of-the-line Les Paul, it featured unique aesthetic features: mother-of-pearl flower and heart inlays on the fretboard (reminiscent of the inlays found on Gibson banjos) and the Gibson logo in script style, as on pre-war models. The Artisan was originally equipped with three pickups and gold-inset top-hat knobs. Two pickups are Gibson Series VII, and one, the middle one, is a Gibson "Super Humbucking." The pickup selector has three settings: neck pickup, middle pickup plus bridge with the switch in the middle position, and bridge pickup only. In late 1978, some Artisans were equipped with a TP6 tailpiece, precision tuner, and two Series VII pickups, with the third pickup remaining available only as an option. Most, if not all Artisans, were built in the Kalamazoo factory, until production was discontinued in 1982. The hardware is gold, including the jack plate, and Schaller "Gibson"-style tuners, plywood, mahogany body and neck, and ebony fingerboard. The neck is medium thick and very comfortable, with wide, medium-height frets. The pickups are powerful and rich in harmonics. The model is superb, like most of the instruments built in Kalamazoo, and is now considered one of the most valuable vintage guitars. The Les Paul Artisan is the only decorated model in the history of the Gibson Les Paul series, and is a "must have" for true Les Paul collectors and the most discerning musicians.

Gibson Les Paul Artisan ( 1976-1982 )

1977 gibson les paul artisan Back in 1976 while the gibson les paul custom guitars were taking rock guitar players and musicians by storm , gibson decided to make an artistic and fancier model and called it the gibson les paul artisan .Although they are 2 different gibson guitar models, the gibson artison is very similar to the les paul custom but with a sleeker look .
The gibson les paul artison had a carved maple top , gold hardware , hearts and flowers inlays on the headstock and fingerboard which was its trademark (very similar to their gibson banjos), they had pre war similar style gibson logos, a tune o matic bridge ( some had a rectangular bridge base in the 80s ), tp-6 fine tuning tailpeice ,2 or 3 humbuckers (optional )  and were made in walnut , tobacco sunburst, and ebony finish . Most artisan guitars were manufactured at the Kalamazoo factory .
The artisan guitars with the 3 humbuckers were better sellers, guitarits' could of activated the middle pick up making it sound thinner to mimic the fender strat thus making it more versatile which was a popular feature for some during that era,"gibson" pre war logo stylehowever during the exact same year ( 1976 ) the gibson les paul custom also had a 3 humbucker model which was a better seller because it was cheaper in price and it had basically everything the artisan had to offer accept for the fancier artistic inlay designs .